Meet Joan
Student at Literacy NJ

Your support empowers students like Joan. Joan’s journey from Kenya to the U.S. is one of resilience and determination. After suffering a stroke in Kenya that left her with partial use of one hand, she emigrated as a teenager to the U.S. to live with her aunt and uncle. Facing language barriers and bullying at school, Joan dropped out.

She found hope through Literacy NJ, where her first tutor, Marie, worked with her for years to improve her reading and language skills. Joan then joined the GED program, working with tutor Alayne, a Westfield resident, and her scores improved enough to now begin taking the GED test.

Joan also worked at a daycare center’s cafeteria, starting part-time. Her reliability and punctuality led to a full-time offer, which puzzled her at first. Her tutor, Alayne, explained: “Do you show up on time? Are you ever absent?” When Joan said yes, and no, Alayne asked, “Do the other workers show up on time?” Joan replied, “No.” “That’s why you got the job,” Alayne said. Joan smiled, “America is a wonderful place.”